THE DC 37 DEATH BENEFIT
If an active employee covered by the
Plan dies, a Death Benefit of $10,000 for a full-timer or $6,000 for a
part-timer (OTB part-timers covered as full timers) will be paid to his/her
beneficiaries.
If an eligible retiree covered by the Plan dies, a Death Benefit of $1,000 will
be paid to his/her beneficiaries.
The Death Benefit is paid to the person or persons selected by the member on
his/her enrollment card or Change of Beneficiary card filed with the Plan
office.
The member can change beneficiaries whenever he/she wishes - as long as it is
done on the proper Change of Beneficiary card. As soon as the Plan office
receives the new card, it becomes effective and voids any previous
designations.
If a member names more than one beneficiary, the Death Benefit will be divided
equally among them unless the member indicated otherwise. If children are
named, and they are under 18 years of age at the time of the member’s death, a
custodial letter will be given to the child’s surviving natural parent, if the
child lives with that parent. The benefit will then be paid in installments of
$500 per month.
If no natural parent survives, guardianship papers will be requested of the
adult individual who has custody of the infant beneficiary. The benefit will be
paid to the guardian and will be subject to the control of the court until the
child/children is 18 years old.
If there are no living beneficiaries or if the member does not name any
beneficiaries, the total benefit will be paid according to the rules and
regulations of the Plan.
Facility of Payment:
If no other assets are available to pay for a member’s funeral, the Trustees
will permit a reasonable amount of the benefit to be used for burial of the member.
This amount will be deducted from the total amount of the benefit.
ACCIDENTAL DEATH AND DISMEMBERMENT BENEFIT
If the member dies as a result of an accident,* an additional
benefit of $10,000 (full-time) or $6,000 (part-time) will be paid to the beneficiary
(is) as an Accidental Death Benefit. In order to be covered for this benefit,
the death must occur within 90 days from the date of the accident and be a
result of injuries sustained in that accident.
If the member loses a limb (hand or foot) or the sight of an eye as a result of
an accident, he/she will receive a Dismemberment or Loss of Sight Benefit of
$5,000 (full-time) or $3,000 (part-time) for each lost limb or eye - but no
more than a total of $10,000 (full-time) or $6,000 (part-time) will be paid
under this benefit.
The loss of limb or eye must be the result of an accident; not a disease, act
of war, or injuries received during the commission of a crime, not
intentionally self-inflicted, or occurring during the course of employment and
not due to the use of alcohol or drugs.
*There are exceptions based on the rules and regulations of the Plan.
DEATH BENEFITS AND THE CULTURAL TRUST
In addition to the aforementioned procedures regarding death
benefits, the following information applies specifically to the Cultural Trust.
The following benefit amounts are effective as of March 1, 2000 for active
employees covered by the DC 37 Cultural Institutions Health & Security Plan:
Basic death benefit will be $20,000
Accidental death benefit will be $20,000
Single dismemberment will be $10,000
Multiple dismemberments will be $20,000
EXTENDED DEATH BENEFIT
This benefit is available to an employee/member who is forced to
leave employment because he/she becomes totally disabled and is under age 55.
In order to be eligible for this benefit, the employee must meet the following
conditions:
·
the employee received the maximum
disability benefit provided by the Plan; and
·
the employee is under age 55; and
·
the employee remains disabled; and
·
the employee is uninsurable and
unemployable; and
·
the employee is not receiving a pension
from a current Employer; and
·
the
employee qualified for Social Security Disability benefits.
If the employee meets all of the above qualifications, his/her
beneficiaries will be entitled to receive the Death Benefit that was in effect
at the time the disability benefits were exhausted.
Coverage for this benefit ends when the member ceases to be disabled, retires,
reaches age 55, or the benefit is discontinued.
EXPANDED DEATH BENEFIT
This benefit is available to an employee/member who is forced to leave
employment because he/she becomes totally disabled and is age 55 or over. In
order to be eligible for this benefit the employee must meet the following
conditions:
·
The employee received the maximum
disability benefit provided by the Plan; and
·
The employee is 55 or older; and
·
The employee remains disabled; and,
·
The employee is uninsurable and
unemployable; and
·
The employee is not receiving a pension
from a current Employer; and
·
The employee qualifies for Social
Security Disability benefits.
If the employee meets all of the above qualifications, his/her
beneficiaries will be entitled to receive an Expanded Death Benefit of $1,500.
Coverage for this benefit ends three years after the employee/member first met
all of the above conditions, or the benefit is discontinued.
EFFECTIVE
The Expanded Death Benefit was enhanced to
increase the coverage offered to an eligible employee, who has 10 years of
continuous employment. If such an employee qualifies for the expanded death
benefit and is over 55 or under 62, he/she will be eligible for a $5,000
benefit. All other conditions of the benefit remain in place.
SURVIVOR’S BENEFIT
Under certain conditions, the spouse and
eligible dependents can continue to utilize the Health and Security Benefits
available to the covered dependents for a period of one year after the date of
death of the member. The eligible dependents have the option to purchase
Continuation of Benefits for an additional 24 months.
